Six makes the Sky: the Arcobaleno
by Lulu-ichigo
Summary: A kind of spin-off from my original Six makes the sky series. One-shot tributes about the arcobaleno's Sky and her Guardians.
1. The Mist

A/N: hey guys! This is another instalment of my 'Six makes the Sky' saga. This time, I'll be doing the Arcobaleno. Well then, please read on and enjoy. ^^

Discalimer: don't own KHR in anyway.

* * *

It was the job of the Sky to understand and accept all.

So when Luce first saw the other six members of the soon-to-be Arcobaleno, she knew he (or she) would be one of the hardest nuts to crack.

Viper was the quietest of the not-so merry bunch. He only nodded or shook his head when Luce asked him about things or, he simply didn't say _anything_. The Giglio Nero boss thought for once that the hooded fellow was mute, until that day when she had offered him some of her freshly baked oatmeal cookies.

"How much are they?"

The statement hung heavily in the air, making Luce stop for almost a minute.

She smiled.

"Of course they're free, dear."

She noted that he moved his head up a bit, as if surprised.

He looked at the baked good on his hand.

It was the first time in a very long time that he had something for free.

* * *

After some weeks, Luce had finally managed to make Viper talk more than often. It was a great accomplishment, actually. Getting to know their cloud was easy, and having tea in the afternoon helped her to connect with their storm.

So that's three out of six. Not bad when you have the six greatest and most powerful hitmen in the world as your family.

She rubbed the swell on her tummy, feeling some contractions here and there. Some of the stress is really piling up on her. She rested for a while and leaned on the counter top and decided to do breathing exercises as she gazed outside.

It was there that she noticed something odd about Viper as she accidentally saw him from the kitchen window.

His feet weren't touching the ground.

He was floating.

She never would have noticed it if a breeze hadn't come by and made his clothes sway a bit.

Luce stopped doing her breathing exercises. No, she actually _forgot_ to breathe. It was the very first time she had seen such a feat with her own eyes.

* * *

"What do you want to know?" he asked her one afternoon, completely catching her off guard.

She didn't expect he could also read minds.

"Everything you allow me to know." She answered in a calm voice as she sat down.

She listened.

He told her when he was very young, he saw a creature observing him from a far; it came with him wherever he went. He told his mother about it but he only got a beating in return. It was there when it started whispering _things_ to him; things he really didn't understand at that time.

Not long afterwards, he discovered he could make things float with the command of his mind, talk with creatures normal people can't see, read minds occasionally, move to another place without even lifting a finger, and make things of fiction become reality.

He told her that when he was six, he had sent his father to the mental ward when he tried to _touch_ him. His father apparently started seeing ghoulish creatures after he had forced him to lie down in bed.

He told her he had been disowned by his mother and called him the Devil's son.

He told her he had been sold to an old man with an indecent smile. He saw something inhuman smiling along with the man. It was the same creature that had always followed him up to now.

He told her he had the chance to talk with Adolf Hitler while staying with the old man with the lewd grin. He was quite the humorous man, actually. It was also in that time when he was dubbed crazy by his companions (who were also children, and there were a lot of them) when they saw him laughing and talking by himself.

He had killed for the first time in the age of seven. He started to have nightmares from then on. When you are seven, seeing the light in a man's eyes vanish isn't the most common thing to see. It wasn't the most pleasing thing either.

He ran away from the man with that lecherous grin after he had killed him.

He told her he had been taken in by a witch and from her, he learned how to properly use his powers.

He killed his 'master' when he heard from a ghost that she was going to sell his soul to 'them'.

He told her he discovered killing was the most appropriate job for him. _And kill he did_.

When he started killing, the creature who had been following him only from a far now had tagged closely beside him. He could also hear its whispers more clearly now.

Luce had wondered why he had told her so much that afternoon.

He only sipped his milk tea and told her he knew that she was _different_.

* * *

Luce once asked Viper why he wore such long and dark attire.

He let her see what's in the other side of his cloak-like clothes.

There were covered with ancient symbols and writings. She also caught a glimpse of his heavily tattooed skin. He said that those were protective spells.

He told her he was possessed by so many spirits (good and not) and it was, mind you, not very pleasant.

He told her it was also because sometimes, his powers had outbursts, similar to those of solar flares. When that happens, someone would probably run away like a maniac or drop dead on the spot.

He particularly didn't like casting illusions to hide those sorry individuals.

* * *

Viper believed in so many things that were implausible to some. But he didn't believe that there was a God.

He told her one rainy morning that he had met the Devil himself.

Luce felt chills crawling down her spine when he told her the Devil was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.

"I learned one thing from him," he said, and Luce paid attention to his light voice, "We are all followed by demons from birth. But when we are young, we are surrounded by a light that doesn't allow those creatures to harm us. As we age, that protective light diminishes, but our conscience grows. That's when we're all on our own."

Luce asked him if that 'light' is the evidence that there is something greater than us.

He stared at her under those hood of his, as if he can see her (he can, but she never knew how).

He told her if there was a God, why did He let his child self lose his innocence so early?

She felt the hidden pain in his statement. It stung her like a poisoned needle.

It was there that she realized it; Viper is broken as a person.

* * *

Luce knew Viper loved money.

She thought maybe he is what he is because he had so little when he was young.

She felt he hungered for love and affection; something he ought to have when he was a child. To him, love was like a cookie jar on a high shelf. No matter how much his short and weak hands try to reach it, and no matter how many chairs he stood on, he knew he can only admire it from a close distance; he can never truly have it.

She felt he had hoarded so many material things for him to replace the things he wished he had.

And that pained Luce. She wished she can make him change but she knew it was too late for that.

* * *

When the time came for them to accept their fate as the Cursed Seven, Luce remembered that Viper had openly cursed the tiny body that they now possessed.

It was a private joke among the seven of them, how the saying 'big surprises come in small packages' suited them so well.

Viper didn't find that funny _at all._ He was actually the first one who was honest enough to _admit_ that he loathed his current form.

The rest of the Arcobaleno were left without words. They were slapped by their own carefully cultured pride, while it pointed a finger at them and laughed because they were cowards who were too scared to admit that they'll never be the same again.

* * *

Luce was the Sky Arcobaleno; the boss of the Cursed Seven. And Viper is her mist.

The illusionist bid her good-bye one summer day, when the cicadas were still crying and there were mirages on the road when one passes by.

"I've accepted Varia's offer." He told her, as if asking for approval.

"That's great news, dear." The blue eyed woman smiled warmly like the sun that shone upon them. "You'll be having a new boss then," she chuckled. "I'm quite jealous."

The next move Viper took made Luce's eyes warm up.

He hugged his pregnant boss gently and whispered to her the words that shoved her to tears.

"_You'll always be _my_ boss, Luce."_

She suppressed a sob and hugged him back. The illusionist kissed her cheek and Luce knew from that moment she'll never see this child again.

It was because Viper never liked company. He had some underlying fear when he was with other people; a fear that had been long engraved in his psyche that he never would admit. Perhaps he was too scared.

Luce felt the form she was hugging was slowly turning in to mist – to the illusion that may have deceived them all along.

There was a time that Viper had told her he was just a figment of everybody's imagination. He told her that as long as we believe at something even if that is not reality for others, it would become existent. Reality is defined by the people who see it, so when they were told that an illusionist named Viper was joining them; he became real in _their_ reality. He was a lie and he had tricked them all.

But Luce is the Sky and she knew and understood _all_. She smiled to herself as her Mist dissipated in to the air, leaving a distant echo of the words 'good-bye'.

Lie or not, Viper was surely more than real when he spent those times with them.

~Fin~

A/N: okay. I tried my best in writing this. ^^ please let me know what you think. Leave me a review, 'kay? XD thank you for reading!


	2. The Rain  I

A/N: I'm so sorry it took me so long to update! T.T I'll try to make it up to you guys next time.

For the meantime, please enjoy the second chapter.

Dozo~

XXX

When Luce found out there that will be another female joining the Arcobaleno, she was truly gladdened.

She thought she'd _finally_ go crazy if all her companions were men. Just picture the chaos that will ensue…

So just imagine what her reaction was when Lal Mirch introduced herself.

"Lal Mirch. COMSUBIN Commander."

And that was all. No 'nice to meet you' or what-not. Plain-old, straight-to-the-point, military-like introduction that made the deep blue haired Giglio Nero boss frown.

So much for that girly bonding time.

XXX

Much to Luce's amusement, Lal Mirch seemed to harbour some 'protective-sister' feelings for Skull.

Right in the beginning, she was the first one to speak up (_snap _is a more proper word, perhaps) to the most famous hitman, Reborn, about his obvious slavery toward the pierced cloud arcobaleno.

The assassin clad in a suit raised a challenging eyebrow at the COMSUBIN Commander. And of course, she stares fearlessly back.

"If you and I are not a part of this _family,_ I would have probably killed you, _Mafioso_." She shot dangerously as they were having afternoon tea.

"Oh?" Reborn smirks under his fedora. "I'm surprised how feisty you are, considering you're currently bowing down to a Mafiosa."

Lal Mirch pulled a gun from God knows where and aims it at the unlabeled Reborn.

Luce knows somewhere down that table the hitman has a finger already hovering beside his pistol's trigger as the said killing device is pointed at the blue haired Commander.

Skull's eyes larges as he senses the murderous auras his two seniors gave off.

Verde did not seem to mind any of this; he simply looked at a bunch of papers he's holding and studied them – completely oblivious. He probably won't even notice it if Reborn and Lal blasted each other's brains right there.

Viper still chewed on those heavenly and very free cookies.

Fon sipped his tea, as if this had already happened a dozen of times and he's completely used to it.

Luce frowned, once again.

What happened to that happy, family-like atmosphere earlier?

"Put down your weapons." The Sky said.

Neither the Rain nor the Sun obeyed.

"Put _down _your weapons." It sounded more like an order.

Lal slowly lowered her gun, but did not pull away that deadly gaze on Reborn.

"Reborn." Luce looked at the stubborn hitman. "Please."

The fedora wielding assassin put his pistol on his inside pocket.

"Now that there aren't any weapons of _annihilation_ present on this table," Luce (she savours the irony for a moment there) began, "We can now talk. Yes?"

Neither of the two replied.

"Alright." The Boss of the Arcobaleno sighed and rubbed her swollen tummy unconsciously. "I believe Lal here is just doing what an appropriate _senpai_ will do."

Skull nodded vigorously.

Reborn cocked an eyebrow at Luce. "I beg your pardon?"

"You, Mr. Hitman," their boss looked at him, and smiled abominably sweet, "Are _guilty_."

The judge has spoken and the verdict is out. The gavel has struck down and justice (injustice, for the hitman's case,) is served.

Skull looked like he just won the lottery. Or possibly, even better.

The smug look on Reborn's face had now vanished. "You –" _Bitch._ He did not finish his sentence as he remembered that _she _is his new boss and he cannot make the Vongola look bad by killing the pregnant monster just because she sided with the bawling pierced kid and the COMSUBIN dog. Instead, he smiled back at Luce; that same, sickeningly sweet grin.

"Now," she began again, irritated by his reply. She would have forgiven him if he just sorry, though. "For the punishment…"

As Reborn ran for the twenty second time around their wooden home in that mountain, he swore he'll get back on Lal. _Soon_.

XXX

Lal led a very organized life.

Her room in their little manor up in those mountains was very neat indeed; everything was in place. She knew how to clean and organize things; a trait which almost everyone in the gang did not posses.

Fon, with his Chinese ideals, wasn't a problem. Reborn doesn't even have a personal thing on his room; thus he doesn't have anything to organize there. Viper's room _looked_ like it was okay; but then, you can never be sure about the things around him. Skull's turf was similar to those of a pubescent kid. And Verde doesn't seem to mind the growing colony of moulds and other micro organisms growing on his walls.

So to Luce, Lal is some kind of miracle child.

She was someone you would probably like your kid to grow up to be; a strong, intelligent and accomplished adult.

So one day, (like every intelligent kid out there would do) she asks why she had been chosen for something this mysterious for an unclear reason. Luce didn't question her. She was expecting it, at the very least.

"I mean no offence, Luce. It's just… I never expected that even the _Com__ando Raggruppamento__Sub__acquei e__In__cursori _can be manipulated by the Mafia. I didn't know…_you people_ had such power over the military."

"Well," the Giglio Nero boss smiled, "I wouldn't call that 'power'. It's merely… a responsibility."

"The Mafia wasn't exactly 'organized crime' before. The Mafia was created to help people, to attend to the weak and to protect the helpless. It wasn't always about drugs and murder." Luce said, as if stating past experiences. "Sadly, almost all of the famiglias existing today had long forgotten about those facts."

_The Sea knows no bounds.__  
__The Clam passes down its form from Generation to Generation.__  
__The Rainbow appears from time to time before fading away."_ The mafia boss sings in their mother tongue and Lal almost got carried away by her soothing voice. "Do you know what that song is, Lal? It's the song that possesses what we must protect."

The former commander knitted her eyebrows.

"It's called the Three Sets of Seven. Fourteen rings of immense power and seven pacifiers to protect them." Luce says carefully. Something in her sweet voice made Lal feel the shivers.

"The Mare rings are protected by my family, the Giglio Nero. The Vongola rings are guarded by Reborn's family. And the seven pacifiers; the Rainbow pacifiers which are wielded by the chosen Seven, the Arcobaleno, are meant to be protected by us. You may not believe me when I tell you that those fourteen rings of the Sea and Clam can reduce the world in to rubble if used improperly, but in time, dear, in time you'll understand."

Lal's light rusty brown eyes widened at the pregnant woman' statements for they were far from credible; but as the latter said, in time, she'll understand.

And when that time came, she certainly wasn't prepared.

XXX

In Reborn's life, there had been only three women in which his irresistible charms (that could make most women want to drop their wedding rings, underwear and other prized possessions) didn't work on: one was a woman he didn't want to identify, two is Luce, and three is Lal Mirch.

Reborn couldn't stand the fact that Lal was practically _ignoring_ him. Luce was an exception; after realizing some things, he concluded that lust was the last thing he wanted to feel for the Giglio Nero Boss. And for Pete's sake, she's pregnant too; not to mention that the woman in question is still _so_ committed to the man who fathered her soon to be daughter.

So let's go back to Lal.

Lal was a bad-ass type of a woman. She led a group of Navy dogs in such a young age; and earned the respect of many high ranking generals because of that. She was the best of the best out there; and that was why she was chosen to be part of the Seven.

Their relationship started out as rivals. Reborn didn't know why she was so competitive and snappy; but, even though he didn't admit it, he liked her that way.

He liked _his_ girls all aggressive and nasty.

But that changed soon after.

"_Reborn_," she hissed, eyes glaring at his coal black ones, "Let me go before I decide to kill you."

The hitman slowly did as told, much to Lal's surprise.

"Tell me Lal Mirch," Reborn tells her as he turns the knob, successfully shutting the water pouring down on them in that shower cubicle. "You're in love with someone aren't you?"

Lal's wild eyes spell shock. "What –"

"For a moment I thought that maybe there's something wrong with _me. _But just now… that glint in your eyes…when I saw it, that's when I realized _everything_."

"What are you saying?" the blue haired commander snapped. "_Everything_ is wrong with you, asshole! You're –"

"I can _finally_ read your mind." The hitman leaned closer to her, and when his lips were breaths away from her ear, he whispered; "I can't believe how thick you are."

Reborn slid out of the cubicle with an amused and satisfied smirk, leaving Lal standing there naked, confused and very irritated.

XXX

"Where have you been last week, hey?"

"It's none of your business."

"I remember you told me that we'll be having a mission somewhere in Russia. What happened to that, hey?"

"The Navy can take it on without our help."

"It's not like you to refuse challenges like that. You like to be in command of things; you like to dominate. The Lal Mirch I know –"

"Would you just shut it, Colonnello?" Lal retorted and tore her gaze away from the paperwork she was reading. "Who are _you_ to speak of me like you know me so well? I am just tolerating this, this irksome attitude of yours, soldier. And don't you _dare_ speak of me again like _that._ You don't know _anything_ about me. Now get your ass out of my office!"

Colonnello felt like he was submerged in ice cold water.

"Y-Yes…Ma'am." He managed to stutter. He swiftly exited her office, still feeling the sting of her words.

Lal exhaled, letting out some of her pent-up anger and frustration. She bit her lip.

If she knew that things would turn out this way, she would have refused this 'special' mission from the start.

XXX

"Luce."

The dark haired Giglio Nero Boss hummed as she picked up two dressed and compared them to the other. "Yes dear?"

"Uh… I think I'm not suited to accompany you today. Maybe Fon would be a better choice… or Skull."

"I have troubled Fon too many times now and Skull's away for some mission for his family."

"What about Reborn? Or Viper?"

"Reborn's not feeling well today and Viper…he's in a… a _condition_ where he can't be near people... you know how it is with him." Luce smiles and picks a rosy colored dress. "I think this'll suit you more. What do you think?"

"What?"

"Wear it, Lal." Luce hands the dress over to the COMSUBIN commander. "I'll wait for you outside okay?" the pregnant woman treaded away, leaving Lal inside her room.

Luce is making her wear a dress. A very frilly, girly and rosy dress. Somehow in Lal's mind this sounds very, _very_ wrong. Putting her name and frilly dress in the same sentence sounds like a crime already.

But what can she do? Luce _is_ her boss. What the boss wants, the boss gets.

"Uh… Luce?"

"Yes, – oh."

Lal slowly came out of the room, dressed in that…that _thing_. "I think this –"

"It's so perfect!~"

"Huh?" Lal's jaw dropped as the Giglio Nero boss pulled her closer.

"Reborn's certainly right about this! I'm so glad I trusted him on this!"

"Wh-What?" Lal's eyes shot open while Luce fussed about the dress. "What about Reborn…?"

"He ordered this dress for you, actually. He told me it would suit you well. And it does! Oh Lal, your so beautiful!"

"_That fuck…"_ she cursed silently and wished she could shoot the fedora wielding hitman right now.

"Now, come on! Let's go, let's go!" Luce pulled her by the arm and started dragging her out of their home.

"W-Wait Luce! I can't possibly go out wearing this!"

"Nonsense!" the pregnant woman put on an extra tug on her arm. "You look absolutely stunning! You'll make heads turn when we get to the market!"

As Luce dragged her off to town, Reborn watched them with an amused smile.

Vengeance is served.

Lal swore _if_ she could pull that gun from her holster, she'd shoot every man who stared at her as they treaded along the crowded streets or the market.

"Uh… Luce? Can we uh, _please _go now?"

"Oh no, dear, we can't," the pregnant woman answered, not pulling her gaze from the red apples. "I'm waiting for someone."

"…You… you're meeting with someone?"

"Well, not exactly. Would you like some pie?"

"Huh?"

"Is apple pie okay?" Luce held up an apple.

"Oh, yeah, sure." Lal watched the Giglio Nero Boss choose from the array of apples. "Who is this person who you will be meeting with?"

"You'll meet 'em soon," Luce thanked the vendor as he handed the bag of apples she picked. "Let's go!"

The COMSUBIN commander nodded once and followed her. Luce led her to the town square and they sat on a bench beside a weathered angel-decorated fountain.

Before Luce can even sit, she suddenly exclaimed, "Oh, there he is!"

Lal whipped her head toward the path where Luce wobbly half ran.

'He' is an ice cream seller.

A few moments later, the Giglio Nero boss returned with two cones at hand. "I hope you like chocolate." She hands Lal the other cone.

Lal muttered 'thanks' and blinked curiously at Luce as the latter happily licked and sucked on the cold dessert like a kid who haven't had anything sweet for ages.

"You were waiting for an ice cream vendor?"

"Mr. Jose has the yummiest ice cream my palate had ever tasted!"

Lal fought back the urge to sigh and licked the treat. Wow. It _is_ good.

"My…My lover likes chocolate too, you know."

The female commander stops and averts her eyes to the pregnant Luce.

"He used to say it's 'a fallen piece of heaven'." She chuckles and looks at Lal, only to meet with surprised eyes. "O-Oh, sorry. I'm sorry…"

"…N-No, it's alright." Lal wanted to hit herself for her previous reaction. "Uh… Your lover… where is he?"

Luce's eyes widened at Lal's question. Lal blushed and cleared her throat. "I… I don't mean to stick my nose in your business, it's just –"

"I don't know." Luce rubbed her tummy. "But I'm sure he's painting something right now."

"He's… a painter?"

"Yes. A very talented one."

Lal nods and sucks on the melted ice cream. Luce does the same.

"Lal?"

"Yes?"

"Once we become the Arcobaleno… You can't return to COMSUBIN anymore."

"…What?"

"You can never see your comrades anymore. Not even your superiors and loved ones."

"What are you saying?"

"The moment they chose you to be one of _us_, they have already severed their ties with you. You are no longer part of the Navy's Special Forces. You are in the Mafia now."

"They… they can't do that to _me_."

"Lal…"

"I…I'm the..."

Luce put a hand on Lal's shoulder. "We're one week away from _that_ day. You can leave tomorrow. Don't… you _can't_ tell anyone about this matter. Not even the slightest hint. I know this will be tough, but... It's part of our job."

Lal slowly relaxed, although disbelief is still on her eyes.

"Lal?" Luce called, worry evident in her voice.

"…I understand."

XXX

"Where are you going, hey?"

Lal stops, feeling those striking blue eyes piercing holes on her back. She turns, and beams a smug smirk. "I've found something more worthy of my abilities."

"Is that even possible? You've gotta be kidding, hey."

"You're just too young to understand." she turns again and continues walking away.

"I want to know where. Tell me, hey."

"Why would I do that? All you do is spoil my fun."

"It's my _right _as your student to know. It's my job to _surpass_ you. Where are you going?"

Lal stopped once more, and promised it will be the last. "Somewhere you won't ever reach, Colonnello."

The blond's eyes widened and Lal burns those blue orbs in her memory because she knows it's the last time she'll ever see them again.

"Lal… Lal! Lal Mirch!"

She closes the door and leaves everything behind.

XXX

Luce is the Sky and Lal is her Rain.

She was _supposed_ to be.

"You're joining the Vongola family?" Luce asks with disbelief in her voice.

"Yes. Reborn invited me. I'll be working for the CEDEF."

"Oh." Luce settles back again in her seat and instinctively rubs her belly.

"I'll be going then."

"Always take care of yourself, dear."

"I will."

"Don't forget to use those scrubs and herbal lotions I gave you."

"O-Okay."

"Take those vitamin E supplements I bought for you."

"Alright."

"Drink milk every morning… and take those milk baths too, every once in a while."

"Okay."

"Don't forget to apply sunscreen when you go out on a mission."

"…Okay, okay, I won't forget _all_ the things you told me." Lal sighed and held back the urge to facepalm.

Luce blushes lightly and then clears her throat. "Good."

The ex-COMSUBIN chief held out a hand, asking for a handshake. "You've been a good boss. I'm deeply honoured to have been under your command."

The sky smiles softly and stands as she clasps her hands in her own, "I'm more than honoured to have become your friend."

And then, Lal beams one of those very rare smiles she has.

"Don't eat too much ice cream, even though you're technically a kid now."

"I won't." Luce chuckles and pulls her in to an embrace. "Lal," the she started as she pulled away, "Always remember this: you will always be a part of the Arcobaleno. That pacifier will always hold the same power as the other blue pacifier, but you can't use it too often. Be careful, if ever the time comes that you must use it."

Lal nods and her Sky squeezes her hand "Good bye, my dear."

"Good bye, Luce."

And so, with a final glance she walks away from the Sky, clutching the grey pacifier as she treaded away.

~Fin~


	3. The Storm

A/N: you guys must have noticed that is being such a b*tch these couple of days. Isn't it irritating? _ Good Lord. I've been itching to update and this comes! And **then** I couldn't connect to the net for about a week or so. Damn it.

*clears throat* anyway, let's forget that for the time being. Sorry for the late update.

Shout outs:

**Azureian****-san **– thanks a lot! I'm glad you liked it. ^^ and of course I will continue with this one. XD

**RealityBitez****-san **– yup, Lal in a dress is just going to happen in fics like this. XD thanks for leavin' a review!

**Applestoapples-san –** I'm sorry I couldn't do as you say… but here it is! I updated. T_T sorry it was late…

**stormypeach1396****-san **and**SushiBomb****-san** – I did have second thoughts on that reborn-tried-lal thing, although the utter OOC-ness of it made me do it. HAH. XD I can't believe I really wrote that. Thanks for leaving a review!

* * *

"It must be hard; bearing all the responsibility."

Luce turned from the broken plate to the silken voice that spoke which is Fon. She smiled.

"I'd like to think that Verde is my stubborn son who's in the rebellious stage."

The Chinese martial artist chuckled lightly and knelt in one knee and picked up the shards of ceramic scattered on the wooden floor. "A stubborn son who does not want his mother's delicious risotto and has a habit of breaking plates; that's what he is."

Luce blushes lightly, flattered by the compliment. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He rests the broken pieces of plate on his left sleeve and offers her his right hand. She takes it willingly and rises.

That was the first time Luce had a real conversation with any of the other seven, and to tell you the truth, it was one of the happiest days of her life.

The Arcobaleno's Storm guardian is Fon, a highly respected and talented martial artist hailing from China. While the title adorning his name does suit his attribute, his personality, oddly enough, contradicts it much to Luce's amusement. Irony does such peculiar things.

"I'd be glad to help you on the chores, if you don't mind." He says, and Luce breaks in to another smile.

"Xie xie."

XXX

The days with her guardians were much more _bearable_, for a lack of a better word, now that Fon is at her side. Her first born; yes, that would be appropriate. Fon is her first born child. She smiles.

Family is important for Luce. She grew up knowing how important it is to have them; how nice it is to feel that you belong somewhere and, even if it may sound cliché, to know that someone accepts you for who you are.

"I have an extended family," he narrated one day as they were strolling in the streets of Italy, "We make tofu for a living. We don't earn much, but it was enough for us. Three generations live in one old large house; sometimes it's chaotic, rarely peaceful, but always amusing." Luce nods. She understands.

"I have eight brothers and a little sister," he says gleefully, perhaps recalling memories. "Since I'm the second youngest; I was assigned to take care of her. She always starts the childish fights between us siblings." He pauses for a second and then smiles, "It kind of reminds me how the rest of the Arcobaleno quarrels all the time."

Luce laughs. "I couldn't agree more." Fon smiles wider and soon enough, he chuckles as well.

"Ugh –"

"Luce?" for a split second she hears his voice coated with panic as she stumbles backwards from the pain in her tummy. He catches her just in time, preventing her from falling completely. "What's wrong?"

"It's… it's just the baby." She smiles weakly, beads of sweat forming almost immediately on her forehead. "It's alright… I-I'm okay." The last word escapes from her lips roughly, making the storm guardian frown.

"Rest for a while." He tells her gently, steering her to a nearby bench. She abides.

"I think it is best for us to go home, Luce." He suggests much to her disappointment.

"But we've come so far!" The Giglio Nero boss replied in between her breathing exercises. "We haven't even bought half of the ingredients –"

"The ingredients can wait. The boss is on the top of our priorities after all." He smiles, calm as ever.

Luce frowns. "Don't give me that, Fon."

He laughs lightly. "I'm sorry. Does it still hurt?"

Luce blinks. "Oh…No, I'm alright now… it's just the occasional kicks."

"I see." He nods.

"…"

"…"

"We're not going home yet, right…?"

"Luce…"

XXX

'_Can I ask you a favour, Fon? I'll be leaving for a check-up this afternoon, you see._ _Can you, say, watch over your fellow guardians for me?'_

_Yes, of course._

Fon remembers the words of agreement he gave Luce.

"Shut up, Verde. You stay away from my stuff or I'll blow away your life and your life's work within a snap, you hear me?"

"As if _you_ could think of such a way to end my existence."

Lal's eyebrow twitched as she stood up, knocking her chair backwards. "Would you like to see me try?"

"Come on, Lal. So what if Verde looked at those secret files of yours? It's not like the world would end if he did." Reborn casually said, making Lal's anger level rise.

"Secret files are called _secret_ for a goddamned reason, Reborn."

"If you could have _thought_ of hiding it in a much secure place, maybe he wouldn't have found it in the first place."

"I hid it in a fucking safe surrounded by lasers and infrared detectors." Lal retorted.

"They don't call me genius for nothing." Verde smirked. Reborn only shrugged his shoulders.

It's these kinds of conversations that usually signal another loud, dangerous and deadly fight, courtesy of the three (and when Reborn is in the mood to piss Skull off, four,) not so young Arcobalenos. Fon sighed. He doesn't know if he could keep that promise to Luce any longer.

(Soon enough, Reborn gets in to the mood of arguing and Skull joins in.)

"You'll _never_ be able to stop them," Viper tells him as the illusionist hovered a few inches off the ground. He pulls a few hundred euros from nowhere and held them up. "Wanna bet?"

Fon sighs, once again. "No, thank you."

"Muh." Viper frowns, very much disappointed and hides the treasured money. "Good luck on trying."

The martial artist smiled even though the statement sounded more mocking than assuring. "…Thank you."

The raven haired man stepped beside the battlefield and well, prayed to the gods to give him strength.

"Now," he began with a silken and smooth voice, "Don't start another fight, you guys. I'm sure Verde had some reason why he did borrow your files, Lal."

"He _stole_ it from me, Fon." The COMSUBIN Commander corrected.

"I gave it back to you!" Verde exclaimed, voice rising a bit higher than usual.

"That doesn't change a damned thing!"

"Shh," he tries to hush them and they do, for a moment. "We won't get any where if we continue raising our voices at each other. Calm down. Breathe in –"

"Even if I told you the reason why I stole your useless papers, your puny brain won't even comprehend it."

"Breathe –"

"YOU SON OF A –"

After a few gunshots and another few words from Reborn to fuel Lal's (and Skull's) annoyance, chaos ensued.

"I told you so." Viper mumbled, making Fon smack his palm on to his face. "Well, if you need me, prepare a fee. I'll be in my room." the hooded figure floated away like a ghost, looking like he didn't care about the destruction the four are currently bringing upon their humble abode.

Fon felt like a dozen of sighs and facepalms aren't enough to express the utter failure of his attempt to pacify his fellow Arcobaleno members. Maybe that calming ability of his just isn't enough to cool the four hotheads down.

Good thing he didn't agree on that bet with Viper.

XXX

Fon makes the most marvellous tofu in the whole world; Luce's sure on that. But when tofu's mixed with chilli flakes and spicy bean paste, it's a different story.

Luce will never forget the day her palate hit that orange red creation.

"Wh –" Skull coughs multiple times, almost falling out of his seat as he tried to clear the food out of his throat.

"What on earth is this _thing_?" Verde grabbed his glass of water after the statement and drank it down in one go.

Lal choked and spat on the floor.

"I'm gonna have to charge you because you made me eat something inedible." Viper wiped his mouth with a table napkin.

"I never knew _this_ could even be spicier." Reborn eyed the ginger colored substance on his spoon and smirked.

Luce glanced at the storm guardian. "Dear? What kind of dish is this, again?"

"Mapo Doufu."* He answered, unsure whether to smile or to start apologizing.

The pregnant boss smiled wider than the Cheshire cat.

"It's magnificent!"

XXX

Luce enjoys long walks on the seaside.

But after a certain incident, she began to think otherwise.

"Stay here." He says in a hushed voice which made her shudder with trepidation. She instinctively clutches on to his red sleeves and he smiles that same refreshing grin.

"It's alright Luce." He squeezes her hands. "Just stay here and I'll get you when it's all over."

"But Fon, the guns –"

"Bullets won't hurt if they don't hit." He says playfully as he lets go of her hand. "Wait for me."

A gasp escapes from her lips as he treads away. Her breath completely ditches her when gunshots started ringing in the air. She never expected to encounter another attack from their enemies. Well, not so soon from the last one, at least.

"Who sent you?" Luce hears him ask a few minutes later, and she jerks from the unusual coldness in his tone. A man laughs at the statement and another batch of gunshots was heard. Luce began to feel anxious.

"Answer my question."

There was something odd and terrifying in those words; words which Fon would never say. Maybe she just didn't hear that right.

"I do not wish any harm," he states again, that same kind tone hinted with threat. "_Please_."

And their reply was gunshots, once more. Luce jerked from the noises. Concerned about the storm guardian, she takes a risk and takes a small peek from her place.

One by one, the enemies fell to the ground, their weapons almost useless against the storm Arcobaleno. The men on the ground had their limbs impossibly twisted, while the other five left were darting their eyes from place to place, not having any clue to where Fon would attack next. The gunshots were non-stop; almost sounding desperate to wipe off their prey. But Fon remains fast and unafraid; he swiftly glides past every attack like the wind that he is.

"Fon," Luce calls out; breathless and terrified at the sight before her. There was no hesitation in his eyes as he broke the neck of that man who laughed at him earlier. Those cracking sounds it gave out made her heart rate double from the second it hit her ears.

"No!" she shouts and Fon must have heard her for he hesitated to attack the other two remaining men. He changed his mind and twisted their arms, rendering them useless and unable to use their guns.

The two screeched in pain and fell to the ground whimpering and muttering curses about him. He exhaled and turned to Luce.

Luce stared back at him with disbelief glazed in her eyes. That murderous spark in Fon's orbs chilled her; she could feel the light trembling of her knees from the shock.

The raven haired man's look softened as he approached her. "I'm sorry."

She exhales that breath she was holding. She notes a stain of blood peeping from his sleeves and takes her handkerchief to press on the bullet wound.

Drips of crimson fall to the ground, staining the sand.

Luce evokes a smile and to Fon, it felt like forgiveness.

"Let's go home, dear."

XXX

"I was in love."

He tells her and she listens as she sewed the cut she made after she had taken the bullet out of his arm.

"We first met when I was six. It was when my father had been contracted to deliver tofu for her family's business, if I remember clearly. We immediately became friends, after that."

Luce nods, running the needle in to his skin and he lightly flinches.

"Li Xue was her name." he says in a soft tone, "We virtually grew up together. She was a good friend but I…"

"You eventually fell in love with her," She finished for him as she prepared some bandages.

"Yes," he replied, smiling. "It was silly of me to ask her hand in marriage when we were sixteen, but her reply surprised me."

Luce slowly wrapped the bandages on his injured arm. "She agreed?"

"Yes."

The Giglio Nero boss' eyes grew. "You're married, Fon?"

The martial artist's expression formed into that of a sad one, but still adorned with that light smile. "Her parents did not approve of me, since my family is of poor upbringing. So I promised her that I would work and come back for her, with enough money to satisfy her parents.

There was an underground fight in Hong Kong back then," He stated while Luce finished wrapping the bandages on his arm, "Bosses of the underworld from different parts of China, Hong Kong, and even Japan would come there and bet on 'horses' that would fight for them in these so-called death matches. You could say it's similar to those of the matches that occurred in the Coliseum in Rome."

I didn't have many options back then, so I decided to participate in those matches, since my grandfather taught me how to fight thru Kung Fu when I was a child. I fought for the Sun Yi Oh* Triad family. For two years I worked for them and when I had enough money, I came back for Li Xue."

I still remember how exhilarated I was when I ran in the streets of my hometown, carrying a bag full of money." He said, pain hidden in his tone. "But she didn't wait for me like she promised."

"She already married someone else."

Luce felt the ache pricking her eyes as her storm guardian continued.

"I could have accepted it if she… she had been married to a good man," He says, the agony of lost love seeping through his voice. "I abandoned everything else just for her and this was all I got." He shook his head and exhaled. "I was so foolish to throw away _everything_ for love."

"Oh Fon…" The Giglio Nero boss frowned and stroked his hair like a loving mother. The martial artist touched Luce's hand and conjured a smile, though sorrow was still mirrored in his wood colored eyes.

"Don't you think so too, Luce?"

"Not at all," she answers truthfully, "Love makes us blind, after all."

XXX

_Luce is the Sky and Fon is her Storm._

"Aria."

"Hmm?" Fon blinks as he smoothens out the creases on his bag.

"I will name my daughter Aria, to match your name."

"That would be an honour." He laughs lightly. "But why?"

"Because I want her to be calm and collected; just like you!" This earned another heartily laugh from the storm guardian.

"So this is farewell, huh…" she asks in her now tiny childish voice.

"Unfortunately," Fon answers, his own now a bit higher than that of his original tone. "Take care of yourself, Luce." He says as he lifts his bag onto his shoulder.

"You should too," she answers and rubs her tummy unconsciously. "Send me postcards if you have time."

The storm laughs once again, still amused about the Arcobaleno boss' unusual liking to the said item. "Alright."

"_Goodbye_, dear friend."

Fon halted as he heard the word. "It doesn't have to be tha –"

But then he realized what that solemn look in his boss' eyes meant and he understood immediately.

He smiles with an emotion only the part of the rainbow would understand and he bows deeply.

"Xie xie."

She smiles back, but it was a happy one. "It is I who should thank you."

And so with a final nod, Fon strides away.

"Goodbye."

~Fin~

*Mapo doufu or mapo tofu is Fon's fave food. It's a very spicy dish with tofu as its main ingredient.

*Sun Yi Oh is actually Sun Yee On, one of the most powerful triad family in China and Hong Kong. If you're not familiar with it, they're kind of the Chinese version of the mafia. Google it if you like.

*Aria means 'Air' in Italian.

I wanted to add some more details, especially about I-pin and her relations with Fon but I'm too lazy to write so yeah… *is shot* XD

I also tried an unlikely 'past' on Fon. He's just the type that at one glance, you wouldn't guess that he's such a broken-hearted bitter dude. I dunno why I did this... He's just giving me that kinda vibes…hmm. Or maybe it's just me. what do you guys think? Kinda sucks? Lemme know, 'kay? XD

Anyway, thanks for reading!


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